How Smart Video Fuels Smart Business
Learn how video solutions with intelligent analysis capabilities can help benefit your drivers and enhance safety programs.
Read moreDriver safety is a critical issue, especially for fleet drivers who constantly interact with the public at large and spend considerable amounts of time on the road, often in large vehicles that can pose added safety risks. Simply put, driver safety—and effective driver safety programs—are a matter of public responsibility. A couple of safety statistics to consider:
Let’s explore five steps to set up a successful driver safety program and sustain it for the long term.
Unsafe driving behaviors endanger the lives of everyone on the road, and creating a safety-first culture depends on identifying key behaviors and correcting them.
A few examples of dangerous driving behaviors include:
Aggressive and unsafe driving behaviors put the lives of everyone on the road at risk. These behaviors include:
Engaging in safe driving behavior is the best way to prevent accidents. Encourage drivers to:
By focusing on achieving the right safety culture, drivers and employees will learn to do the right and safe thing as a matter of choice.
There are hundreds of metrics that fleets can monitor and then report on, from individual driver behaviors to organization-wide KPIs. The challenge is to identify the specific metrics that will promote safe driving and reduce the risk of accidents.
The CSA program BASICs (Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories) are a good starting point in establishing driving performance KPIs and can be further customized to suit your specific fleet. For example, if you operate an over-the-road trucking fleet, you might want to focus on HOS factors. If you are a plumbing or electrical service provider, you should consider more field service-specific KPIs.
After deciding what driver safety metrics are important to your fleet and what you will be measuring, it's time to establish a policy around driver management performance. A policy that uses the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic & Time-bound) technique can help to positively influence driving style and traffic safety across your fleet of vehicles.
A complete fleet management solution can provide data that is focused on drivers and human factors, not just on vehicles. Data from driver management software can be used to help prevent motor vehicle crashes, that can lower the cost of repairs due to accidents, helps prevent injuries and fatalities, improves fuel efficiency and reduce insurance premiums.
After implementing a fleet management solution the next step is for fleet managers to create a safe driving program that can help to hold drivers to a company-wide safety standard. A driver safety program can be easily implemented if it has leadership behind it, but getting employees involved is critical to success.
An employee incentive program is a great way to encourage safety and help make the most out of your fleet tracking solution. Here are a few examples of cost-effective and easy driver incentives:
Once your drivers are incentivized to stay safe, you can establish driver “scorecards” to monitor key safety statistics. A driver scorecard works by providing key information specific to driver behavior in a clear and understandable way via a dashboard view. Factors monitored and reported by a driver scorecard can include:
Fleets that utilize this data have shown immediate and substantial reductions in alerts pertaining to key safety factors, as well as reductions in accidents, driving violations and complaints from the public. Scorecards are also a great form of preventative driver coaching; identifying and curbing risky behavior proactively can help reduce the likelihood of future incidents.
Real-time data and feedback can also be used to power gamification methods, which can drive better employee performance and be used to improve levels of participation and engagement.
Leveraging the inherent desire to compete, either with themselves or others, gamification can drive employee engagement as measured by key metrics and KPIs. This helps with rewarding and incentivizing employees to change behaviors. In the commercial driving space, gamification can be used to improve fuel efficiency and ROI—as well as to improve safety through the use of competition-based incentives aimed at safe driving behaviors.
By taking a focused approach to building a safe driving program with these five steps, you can build a successful driver safety program that extends across your entire fleet.
As you get your driver safety program up and running, keep these things in mind:
Tags: Safety, Productivity & Efficiency
Find out how our platform gives you the visibility you need to get more done.
Learn how video solutions with intelligent analysis capabilities can help benefit your drivers and enhance safety programs.
Read moreAre you ready for vehicle tracking? Go through our checklist to learn the signs you’re ready to add fleet tracking to...
Read moreTechnology adoption helps fleets navigate operational obstacles. Learn what fleet management industry technology trends...
Read moreLearn how telematics can lead to operational improvements.
Read moreGet your free 2024 Fleet Technology Trends Report and see how organizations are: